How to pay KRA via M-Pesa — taxes, PRN, and avoiding common mistakes

Paying KRA — Kenya Revenue Authority — via M-Pesa is straightforward once you understand the one piece that catches everyone first time: you can't just send money to KRA. You first generate a Payment Registration Number (PRN) on iTax, and that PRN is what you enter as the account when paying via M-Pesa paybill 572572.

Step 1 — Generate a PRN on iTax

The PRN is a unique reference number that tells KRA which tax obligation your payment clears. Without it, your money lands in suspense and the obligation stays open.

1. Go to itax.kra.go.ke and log in with your KRA PIN and password.
2. From the iTax menu, choose Payments → Payment Registration.
3. Select the tax head (PAYE, Income Tax, VAT, Withholding Tax, Customs, etc.) and the tax period.
4. Enter the amount you owe.
5. Choose payment method: Mobile Money — Safaricom.
6. iTax generates a PRN — a string of letters and digits likeKRA1234567890. Save it. You'll need it for the next step.

The PRN is valid for 30 days. If you don't pay within that window, generate a fresh one.

Step 2 — Pay via M-Pesa paybill 572572

1. Dial *334# or open the M-Pesa app.
2. Lipa na M-Pesa → Pay Bill.
3. Business Number: 572572.
4. Account: paste the PRN from iTax.
5. Amount: the same amount you entered when generating the PRN. Mismatches cause issues.
6. Enter PIN, confirm.

You'll receive an M-Pesa SMS confirmation. iTax typically updates within 5-30 minutes showing the obligation as paid. Check on iTax → My Ledger.

Zero-rated for excise

KRA payments are zero-rated for M-Pesa excise duty — Safaricom waives the customer fee on government payments. The displayed paybill fee should be KES 0 regardless of the amount. This is a deliberate policy decision to remove friction from public-service payments.

Common mistakes that cost time

1. Paying without a PRN. Money goes to KRA paybill but doesn't clear any specific obligation. You'll need to call KRA (0709 011 000) with the M-Pesa transaction code to manually allocate. Takes 3-7 working days.
2. Wrong PRN — used a previous tax period's PRN. The amount might land but credit the wrong obligation. Same fix — call KRA with the transaction code.
3. Mismatched amount. If the PRN was for KES 10,000 and you sent KES 15,000, KRA records may not auto-clear. The KES 5,000 difference sits in suspense.
4. Used the wrong tax head. Generated a PAYE PRN but tried to pay Withholding Tax with it. Generate the correct PRN, pay separately, and call to reverse the wrong one.
5. PRN expired. If you generated a PRN more than 30 days ago, regenerate before paying. Old PRNs can't be reactivated.

For businesses paying multiple obligations

Each tax head + period combination needs its own PRN. PAYE for January is different from PAYE for February, both different from VAT for January. Generate each separately and pay each separately. Don't bundle.

For high-volume payers (corporate clients), KRA offers direct debit and bank EFT options that avoid the M-Pesa transaction limit (KES 250,000/day) entirely.

Paying KRA from abroad

Diaspora users with Kenyan tax obligations (rental income tax, capital gains, business income from Kenyan sources) can use Wise or another remittance provider that supports direct paybill deposit. Generate the PRN on iTax first, then pay paybill 572572 with that PRN as account. Confirm the amount in KES exactly matches the PRN.

Other government services use eCitizen, not 572572

KRA is unusual in having its own paybill. Most other government services (NTSA, passports, business registration, immigration, KEBS, KWS) route through eCitizen paybill 206206 with an eCitizen-generated invoice number. Don't confuse the two.